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Recently Microsoft and its OEM partners put to market inexpensive Windows 10 laptops ideal for school-issued devices. The price and hardware specifications position them against Chromebooks in competing for the K-12 procurement dollar. Can new these Windows laptops unseat the current market leader for 1:1 mobile computers for school districts in North America?

The laptops here run full-on Windows 10 Professional. Last year at this time, Windows 10 laptops under $400 found some traction in the education sector; these appeal to the same customer and deliver value at an even lower price point.

Earlier this year Microsoft targeted school users with Windows 10 S, a browser-based version of Windows 10 that runs in Edge. Positioned as a sleek, R2-like variant of Windows, the S-version has limitations on compatible applications it can run.

Does Windows 10 S fit your school ecosystem?

For its learning ecosystem. MS ran QA on 200+ top education web applications to ensure compatibility with Edge, which the company proffers as a faster, safer alternative to Chrome. A laptop with Windows 10 S will not run applications unless they are purchased from the Windows store—concessions were made for G Suite apps that are retooled to run in the Edge browser.

A run-down of features that educators should find useful:

New cloud-based device management features, a popular selling point for K12 inventory keepers, implemented by connecting devices to Azure Active Directory.

Since the OS is less I/O intensive, Windows 10 S laptops have a battery life up to 14 hours.

MS Office, specifically One Note, are cornerstone apps for educators and students. For example, teachers can make free-hand mark-ups on html web pages. Filing pages into student cloud storage eliminates paperwork for lessons and assignments.

Why might a “Google-less” laptop make sense for your school?

In building a learning ecosystem for Windows 10 S for schools, MS ran extensive QA on 200+ top education web applications to ensure compatibility with Edge, which the company positions as a faster, safer alternative to Chrome.

Part of the safety features prohibits a laptop with Windows 10 S from running applications unless they are purchased from the Windows store. Google retooled its G Suite apps to run in the Edge browser and are available to add to a Windows 10 S laptop.

New cloud-based device management features, a popular selling point for K12 inventory keepers, offers simple implementation with Azure Active Directory.

Since the OS is less I/O intensive, Windows 10 S laptops have a battery life up to 14 hours.

MS Office, specifically One Note, are cornerstone apps for educators and students. For example, teachers can make free-hand mark-ups on html web pages. Filing pages into student cloud storage eliminates paperwork for lessons and assignments.

When is Windows 10 Pro a better fit for educational IT?

The device management simplicity of Windows 10 S is attractive to a school district that wants to keep its students on task and safe online. There are drawbacks in certain situations.

If you purchase a pre-installed Windows 10 S laptop, it costs $49 for a Windows 10 upgrade. Windows 10 Pro hardware cannot downgrade to Windows 10 S with one exception—the Surface Book sold with Windows 10 S and later upgraded to Windows 10 Pro may revert back by reinstalling the original image.

Summary

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Best Windows 10 Laptops Around $250 for Schools

Description

Recently Microsoft and its OEM partners put to market inexpensive Windows 10 laptops ideal for school-issued devices. The price and hardware specifications position them against Chromebooks in competing for the K-12 procurement dollar. Can new these Windows laptops unseat the current market leader for 1:1 mobile computers for school districts in North America?